


come back (be here)

by denimandflowers



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: 2park, 2park being stupid, Angst with a Happy Ending, Break Up/Make Up, Canon, Jihoon centric, M/M, brief mention of cheating, brief mention of park woojin/kang mina, mostly woojin, post disbandment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 07:11:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20093347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/denimandflowers/pseuds/denimandflowers
Summary: Jihoon had always known that a break up was inevitable.Does it hurt any less, though?(No, it doesn’t.)In which Woojin gets so busy he has no time for their relationship, and Jihoon wonders if he should let go.





	come back (be here)

**Author's Note:**

> i did something.  
can there be more 2park aus pls? :-(  
i'm thinking of writing another break up/make up one shot.........

Jihoon waves at the crowd with both hands, revelling in the loud cheers as he shows off his best smile. The lights turn down and he walks offstage. As soon as he’s out of the public’s eye, his smile melts away as his shoulders slump in exhaustion.

“Good work today, everyone!” the director calls and Jihoon gives a polite greeting to every staff he encounters along the way back to his van. The doors close and he’s drowned in silence. The van pulls out of the carpark and soon they’re on the highway.

Jihoon checks his phone. There aren’t any new messages. Honestly, why was he still holding onto something that was long gone?

He turns off his phone, slips it into his pocket and leans into the window, closing his eyes.

* * *

**BaeBae**

December 11, 11.21pm

Hyung are u coming to AB6IX’s concert tomorrow?

No.

You’re busy?

Woojin and I broke up.

Jihoon sighs when he sees the incoming call. He hesitates, but knows better than to reject. Jinyoung can be annoyingly persistent when he wants to be. Jihoon figures he’d learnt that from Daehwi.

_“Are you serious, hyung?”_

“Do I have nothing better to do than to joke around?” Jihoon answers the question with one of his own. There’s a pause on the other end of the line and Jihoon waits patiently. He knows Jinyoung’s just shocked. He hasn’t told anyone. No one knows.

_“When?” _comes Jinyoung’s tentative reply. Jihoon takes a moment to let the question sink in. When did they break up? When did it all fall apart? Jihoon doesn’t have a definitive answer. He just knows that one of them no longer feels the same way.

“I don’t know,” Jihoon admits, suddenly feeling small. He hasn’t spoken about it to anyone. It feels weird to say it. Feels wrong to admit that it’s all over. Jihoon hadn’t realised it would hurt this much. “We didn’t really… talk about it. We just kinda stopped talking.”

No more surprise visits, no late-night calls. No more sneaking around in the dark, or the _I miss you _messages. Everything just came to an end.

_“For how long?_” Jinyoung’s voice is barely a whisper now. As if he were afraid to say anything else; afraid Jihoon was going to fall apart. Like it hadn’t already happened one too many times before.

“_Months_, Jinyoung,” Jihoon says. He grips the phone tightly in his hand. “It’s over.” Admitting it out loud to someone else other than himself makes it all so real. Jihoon’s been grappling with the reality for months.

_“I’m coming over,” _comes Jinyoung’s reply. Before Jihoon can even protest, the line is cut off.

* * *

Jihoon had never known happiness like being in Wanna One. His life hadn’t been particularly awful but being put in a group with ten other like-minded boys and thrusted into a world where they were loved by everyone, helped put things into perspective. Jihoon rode on the wave of their success with nothing but overwhelming love and gratitude in his heart.

The other boys were like brothers, but Park Woojin, he was different. Their love blossomed like one between young, awkward boys. A year spent together felt like an eternity. Woojin showered him with love and attention. Back then, even spending a few hours apart made Woojin’s absence suffocating.

Their love felt like a flame in the night. Burning hot and bright in the night only to quietly fade out in the morning. It shouldn’t be surprising. Their lives were not the same anymore. There are new people, different opportunities. It’s hard to keep up when they were worlds away.

Jihoon had always known that a break up was inevitable.

Does it hurt any less, though?

As he sits all alone in an apartment that’s all too big and stifling, Jihoon thinks that no, it doesn’t.

It feels a lot like heartbreak.

* * *

“It’s been months, you know,” Jihoon says as casually as he can, peering at the younger from the corner of his eyes. “I’m over it.”

“I know that time heals all wounds and shit like that, but can you honestly look me in the eyes and tell me that you don’t have _any _regrets about the way you and Woojin ended things?”

Jihoon hates how stubborn Jinyoung can be sometimes. His fingers curl around his third can of beer, mind hazy as he ponders over those words. Of course he couldn’t do it. He has so many questions, each one left unanswered.

“You really want to know how it happened, Jinyoung-ah?” Jihoon’s eyes glaze over in melancholy. Beside him, Jinyoung leans in closer.

* * *

_January 2019_

“I’m sad,” Jihoon says through his tears. A warm hand reaches up to wipe at his eyes.

“What are you sad for?” Woojin’s voice is steady, gaze soft. The hand moves to Jihoon’s cheek. “It’s a new beginning. We should be celebrating!”

Jihoon rolls his eyes but there’s not bite to his words, “As if you weren’t crying your eyes out onstage earlier, you hypocritical bitch.”

Woojin’s arms are around his waist, pulling him in closer. “It’s the end of Wanna One, but it’s only the start of us.”

Jihoon’s cheeks flush red. “I still hate how you can pull off saying corny shit like that looking all cool and mighty.”

“You think I’m cool and mighty?” Woojin teases, leaning in so that they faces were inches from each other.

“You’re a _dork_,” Jihoon breathes.

“Didn’t you once say you loved that about me?” Woojin grins.

“I take that back,” Jihoon whispers.

“Good,” Woojin murmurs, moving in even closer, “Because I’m about to do the un-dorkiest thing.”

Jihoon sighs into the kiss, eyes fluttering close at how soft Woojin’s lips are.

“You’re getting better at this,” Jihoon teases when they pull away.

“I’ve had a lot of practise,” Woojin boasts, leaving another small kiss at the corner of Jihoon’s plump lips.

* * *

_March 2019_

**my love woojin**

March 31, 6.55pm

Jihoon ah, i can’t make it to dinner :-(

you promised!!

i’m sorry

whatever.

i’m really sorry…

it’s fine.

please forgive me

i’ll make it up to you, i promise

Jihoon stares hard at the messages on his phone. He knows he shouldn’t be angry. He’d known, even before they parted ways, that eventually they’d both be so busy with their own schedules that they will barely have time for each other. But Woojin’s been unreachable for the past couple of weeks leading up to his new group’s debut. Jihoon’s been busy, too, but he’s spent _weeks _reorganizing his activities to make sure he could make it for their first-year anniversary dinner. He’d pulled so many strings, put in so much effort just so they could be together for an important milestone in their relationship. And for Woojin to cancel at the very last minute; Jihoon feels like he’d been slapped in the face.

His fingers hover over the keypad. “_Are you even trying?_” Jihoon wonders sadly.

* * *

_April 2019_

**my love woojin**

April 15, 2.47am

i miss u, my love hoonie

It’s been a particularly trying day. Twenty-four hours ago, he was on the way to a broadcasting music show. After that, he’d been whisked away for a fan meeting, and then thrown into meeting after meeting for his impending comeback. It’s almost five a.m. and he’d only just got back from shooting for his latest drama. He’d barely had any time to himself but all he wants to do after his nice, hot shower was to crawl into bed and sleep in till the afternoon.

Jihoon emerges from the bathroom dressed in an old tee and a pair of sweats, feeling entirely ready to pass out.

“Good morning!” Jihoon screams when he’s suddenly tackled to the bed. He thrashes in his intruder’s hold but the man has a vice-like grip around him.

“Jihoon, stop it! It’s me!”

Jihoon squints his eyes at the familiar face. “Woojin, what the fuck?”

Woojin laughs, releasing his hold on Jihoon. He reaches a hand out to Jihoon. “Why were you so startled?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe it’s because I have a fucking stalker on the loose and it’s fuck o’clock in the morning??” Jihoon cries, swatting Woojin’s hand away.

Woojin frowns, settling into a kneeling position on the bed. “You have a stalker?”

Jihoon crawls under the covers. “Yeah. I told you about it last week, over the phone. Clearly you weren’t listening.”

“_God_, I’m so sorry, Jihoon. I must have been preoccupied with something else.” Woojin scoots closer as Jihoon gets ready for bed, fluffing his pillows. Jihoon has half a mind to berate Woojin for it; Woojin’s always been attentive towards him but lately it seems like he’s been so distracted. But Jihoon’s not in the mood for an argument.

“What are you doing here, Woojin? I’m tired. I haven’t had a proper sleep in days.” Jihoon rests his head on the pillow and closes his eyes. He feels Woojin brushing his hair out of his eyes and leans into the touch.

“I had a day off today,” Woojin’s voice is soft as he smooths the frown in Jihoon’s forehead with a palm. “I wanted to see you. We haven’t met since I bailed on you two weeks ago. You know, that night we were supposed to have dinner.”

Jihoon’s eyes shoot open at the memory. Maybe he was being overly sensitive, having been awake for more than twenty-four hours, but Woojin’s nonchalance strikes a nerve.

“It wasn’t just a dinner, Woojin,” Jihoon says condescendingly. “Do you even know what day it was?”

“I…” Woojin trails off, racking his brain for the answer. Jihoon sighs in disappointment.

“Does this relationship mean _anything_ to you?” Jihoon watches as anger plays across Woojin’s face.

“What do you mean, Jihoon ah? Of course it does. That’s really unfair of you. You know I’ve been really busy with the debut,” Woojin’s voice is quiet but there’s an edge of annoyance to his tone.

“And I’m not busy with my own career?” Jihoon challenges.

“You know that’s not what I meant.” Woojin moves away. “I didn’t come here to fight.”

Jihoon watches in panic as Woojin climbs off the bed and pulls on his coat, reaching for a bouquet of flowers that sits on the dresser. “To think I came here to surprise you. I even brought flowers and shit. Thought you might like them,” he says sulkily.

“Woojin,” Jihoon says resignedly. “I’m sorry.” Jihoon feels shitty to have started an argument. “Will you come back here and hold me?”

Jihoon feels terrible when he sees Woojin hesitate. “I’m really sorry, Woojin-ah. I’ve just, really missed you, so can we please just forget everything and have one night together? Just you and I.”

Woojin sets the flowers back down and rids himself of the coat, slowly climbing back into bed and under the covers. Jihoon wraps his arms around Woojin’s waist and buries his face into the crook of his neck.

“Thank you for the flowers,” Jihoon murmurs sleepily. The last thing he feels is Woojin’s lips on his forehead.

* * *

_June 2019_

**my love woojin**

June 2, 9.01am

hey, didn’t mean to reject the call

i’m kinda busy.

“Jihoon-ah, congrats on your drama.” Jihoon smiles widely when he sees Minhyun approaching him with open arms. He accepts the hug, letting Minhyun squeeze him.

“Thanks, hyung,” he beams.

“I heard it’s getting great ratings and reviews. As expected of you, Park Jihoon,” Minhyun laughs.

“The director and scriptwriters did a good job,” Jihoon smiles bashfully.

“What did Woojin say?” Minhyun grins knowingly. Jihoon’s face falls for a second but he recovers quickly, forcing a smile.

“Haven’t had the chance to talk to him yet.”

“I’m sure he’s proud of you,” Minhyun consoles.

“Yeah,” Jihoon says distractedly. Minhyun’s a close friend, but Jihoon isn’t about to unload his worries about the increasing strain in his relationship unto him. To the other Wanna One members, they were still Park Woojin and Park Jihoon. Bunssodan. The inseparable Parks.

**my love woojin**

June 15, 10.46pm

just text me when you’re free?

i kinda miss you.

i’m busy.

okay…

**my love woojin**

June 22, 1.12am

Woojin?

hey, don’t mean to sound clingy but i really miss you.

Jihoon checks his phone again before he sleeps. No new messages from Woojin.

He doesn’t get one when he wakes up either.

* * *

_August 2019_

**woojin**

August 17, 3.22am

just tell me if it’s over.

i can’t keep holding onto us thinking there’s still a chance.

i’m tired, woojin.

Jihoon gets his answer in the next few days.

“I hope you feel better, Jihoon,” his manager tells him over the phone. He’d asked if he could take a break from practice. He’s just glad he doesn’t have any official schedules for the day.

Because Jihoon can’t bring himself to get out of bed. Not when his stomach is churning, and his heart feels heavy in his chest.

He feels like the world’s biggest idiot as he reads and rereads the article again.

**[BREAKING] Park Woojin and Kang Mina reportedly dating.**

Insiders say romance has recently blossomed between the two as they previously worked on…[read more]

* * *

“Wait, wait, wait,” Jinyoung holds a hand up, shaking his head. “I thought they both denied it? Didn’t their agencies admit it was just for some reality show they were filming?”

Jihoon shrugs as he lets out a shaky breath. “Even if it was, don’t you think he should, at the very least, have the decency to clear things up with me, in case I got the wrong idea?”

Jinyoung visibly deflates. Jihoon has a point.

“He never reached out to me. For weeks, like a fool, I sent him countless of messages and he never replied to a single one.”

“He made it obvious things were over between us,” Jihoon says bitterly, swallowing the growing lump in his throat. He’d spent the last few months picking up the pieces but talking about it was starting to unravel emotions he’d fought hard to suppress.

Jihoon doesn’t stop the tears that start falling. “I mean nothing to him anymore.”

“This is ridiculous,” Jinyoung curses lividly. “Park Woojin really turned into an asshole, didn’t he?”

“He’s not,” Jihoon sniffles, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. “He just stopped having feelings for me and didn’t want to complicate things. If anything, I’m glad it was a clean break.”

“Are you, really?” Jinyoung doubts. “You’re sitting here crying your heart out when it’s been months. You say you’re over it but how can you be if he’s never given an explanation? There’s no end to your story. There’s just a big, ugly question mark. You’re going to keep wondering for the rest of your life if you don’t get answers now.”

“I’m only saying this because I care about you, hyung. You need to confront Woojin. His reasons may hurt you but it’s better to rip off the band aid now.”

* * *

Jihoon gets his chance on Christmas.

It really is a fucking Christmas miracle because he’s a solo artist and they’re short on rooms at the end-of-year music concert, so he ends up sharing one with AB6IX. He arrives before them and is nervously sitting at the dressing area getting his make up done when they come.

Jihoon smiles when they greet him but it quickly fades when the last member walks through the doorway, a slight frown marring his features.

“Jihoon hyung! It’s been so long!” Daehwi gushes. He traipses towards the older and engulfs him in a hug. Jihoon doesn’t miss the sympathy in his eyes when he pulls away. Daehwi knows.

“How have you been?” Jihoon asks the younger. Around them, everyone else gets to work.

“Good. I’ve listened to your comeback song, by the way. It’s sounds really pretty.”

“Thank you, Daehwi,” Jihoon smiles. From the corner of his eyes, he catches sight of Woojin disappearing into the backroom. Daehwi notices too, because his smile fades away and he regards Jihoon with concern.

“Jinyoung told me what happened,” he begins, lips curled downward in the corner. “Woojin hyung never told us anything. I thought things were still okay.”

Jihoon’s gaze falls to his hands in his lap. “It’s not been okay for months,” he admits. He’s been holding it in, keeping his troubles away from everyone and putting on a strong front. No one had a single clue what’s been happening.

“I wish I knew about it sooner,” Daehwi says regretfully.

“Even if you did, there’s nothing you could have done,” Jihoon reassures him. “I mean, I’d been trying to get him to talk to me for months but it’s just radio silence on his end.” Jihoon laughs hollowly. “I know his feelings for me have faded, but I _just_—I need to hear it from him.”

“Well, good luck then, Jihoon hyung.” Daehwi gives him one last hug and stands to leave. “Even if things are over between the two of you, you’ll always have those memories.”

Jihoon lets Daehwi’s words play on his mind as he makes his way to where he’d seen Woojin gone. The room is empty when he enters. He sees Woojin sitting on the sofa busying himself with his phone. He feels a surge of confidence as he closes the door shut behind him. Woojin looks up then. The frown on his face fades and morphs into one of impassive.

“I just want you to say it to my face,” Jihoon says slowly, holding Woojin’s gaze. He takes a cautious step towards him.

“I just need to hear you say those words.” Jihoon takes another step towards him. His hands start to shake as he balls them into fists at his side. “I know you’re sick of me. I _know_,” Jihoon chokes. “I know you don’t feel the same way anymore.”

“Just tell me it’s over and I’ll stop bothering you.”

Woojin’s face crumples and the look of indifference falls away. “What are you doing, Jihoon? We haven’t talked in months.”

Jihoon’s heart breaks. He swallows hard. He should have expected it. So why did it feel this way? “Yeah,” Jihoon says hastily, spinning around on his heels.

“_Jihoon_,” he hears Woojin call exasperatedly. He pushes through the doors and out into the hallway, making it to the stairwell before the tears come. He looks up at the ceiling, trying to get it to stop before his makeup gets ruined.

“Jihoon, wait up.” Jihoon curses when he sees Woojin stumble towards him.

“Jihoon, I’m sorry. That came out very wrong,” Woojin struggles to get his words out.

Jihoon scoffs, glaring at him. “I get it, Woojin. It’s over and I was stupid to think there was more to it when in fact the only reason why we’re here is that you’ve…” Jihoon breaks off, staring up at the ceiling. _Fallen out of love. _

Great. His eyes were wet again.

“I thought we were over,” Woojin’s voice is quiet but it echoes off the walls.

Jihoon laughs, unamused. “You’re the one who stopped texting me.”

“I know,” Woojin admits.

“I gave you a chance to break it off with me but all I got was silence. And then I find out from the media that you—you _cheated_ on me with some other girl.” Jihoon doesn’t stop the tears this time. He cries softly, bangs falling into his eyes as his gaze falls to the floor.

“Jihoon, I…” Woojin tries, but he can’t find the right words to say.

“Just leave, Woojin.”

“I don’t have an excuse for leaving you hanging,” Woojin says despite Jihoon’s words. “I was just so caught up in work, I barely had time for us. Then when I finally had a breather, you’d already stopped trying and I thought it would have been unfair for me to reach out to you again. I honestly thought you’d given up on us and I didn’t want to put you through anything else.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Jihoon scoffs through his tears.

“I swear to you, I’m not,” Woojin says seriously. “I know it sounds so utterly stupid but I thought if you hated me then we’d just fade into nothing and you’d move on.”

“I didn’t want us to fade into nothing,” Jihoon says with a quiet sniffle. “I wanted us to brave through the storm. I thought I meant enough for you to fight for.”

“Jihoon I—I know I’ve never told you this, but I…” Woojin takes a step closer, tentative.” I love you,” he admits softly. “I’m in love with you, and I’m sorry I’ve never said so. I’m sorry I made you think that you weren’t enough. You’re more than enough. You’re more than perfect for me.”

“You cheated on me,” Jihoon says shakily, shrinking away as he’s overcome by a fresh wave of tears.

“I didn’t cheat on you,” Woojin says firmly. “That was just a publicity stunt. Ask Daehwi. If I did, he would have skinned me alive.”

“You’re fucking kidding me.” Jihoon stares at Woojin in disbelief.

“Now I kinda wish I was…” Woojin says meekly, cowering under Jihoon’s gaze.

“You mean to say, that you put me through that emotional turmoil for _months _just because you were stupid to think that I wouldn’t be understanding about your crazy schedule?”

“When you put it like that, it does make me sound like an idiot,” Woojin sighs.

“I’m not misunderstanding this, right?” Jihoon asks hesitantly. “You… you still have feelings for me?”

Woojin closes the distance between them, taking Jihoon’s hands in his own. “I do,” Woojin says seriously. “I was an idiot, but I’m still in love with you.”

“We were together for a year but you’d never said so.”

“Again,” Woojin groans, “An idiot.”

Jihoon laughs, this time his chest feels lighter.

“I can’t promise that I’ll have enough time for you. There are times when my schedule gets crazy, there are times when _you’ll_ be too busy for me. But we can make this work, can’t we?”

“I guess I like you too much to say no,” Jihoon says with a smile. Woojin reaches up to gently wipe the remaining tears on Jihoon’s cheeks with a thumb before leaning in to kiss him on the lips.

“I love you,” Woojin says again.

“Don’t be an idiot anymore,” Jihoon whispers.

“I won’t.”

**Author's Note:**

> also, don’t h8 me but I actually like mina and I think if they were friends for reals i would uwu  
also, don't h8 me but i wrote this in a few hours so it's a bit gross  
also if u havent already realised i love taylor swift's music and i use her lyrics for the title of my fics all the time :-)


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